Eight-Time Defending GNAC Women's Tennis Champion Simmons Tops Preseason Poll

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WINTHROP, Mass. – Winners of 11 of the last 12 Great Northeast Athletic Conference championships in women’s tennis, including the last eight in a row, Simmons College has been pegged atop the annual GNAC Preseason Poll, as voted upon by the league’s head coaches.

The Sharks, who will begin play at Daly Field in Brighton this fall, garnered six of a possible seven first-place votes and 48 points to take first place in the poll.

Simmons, which returns only one starter from a year ago, last failed to win a GNAC title back in 2007, as that season Suffolk captured its second-ever conference crown. Suffolk finished second to the Sharks in the 2016 poll, receiving one first-place nod and 41 points.

The Rams’ roster will again boast senior Aidiana Sagyndykova and junior Valentina Medina. Sagyndykova is a two-time GNAC Player of the Year, while Medina collected GNAC Rookie of the Year honors last season.

Johnson & Wales University was a mere four points behind Suffolk in the ledger to take third place with 37 points.

The University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) took the fourth position with 28 points, followed by Albertus Magnus College with 18 points, Anna Maria College with 13 points and Mount Ida College with 11 points.

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement. 

2016 GNAC Field Hockey Preseason Poll
1. Simmons (6) – 48
2. Suffolk (1) – 41
3. Johnson & Wales – 37
4. USJ (Conn.) – 28
5. Albertus Magnus – 18  
6. Anna Maria – 13
7. Mount Ida – 11

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